The Startup Village concept of the European Commission (JRC, Joint Research Centre) offers a new perspective on the development of the vitality of rural areas and an opportunity to network nationally and internationally. The concept aims to support ambitious entrepreneurship and innovation activities. The Startup Village status increases the value of the areas and supports the creation of new companies.
A Startup Village is a place, or a network of small places, which embraces innovation and ambitious entrepreneurship to unlock development potential and support well-being in rural areas. The operating model involves citizens, companies, and associations in the development of new business activities. The annual Startup Village Forum plays a key role in the exchange of expertise and information; networks and mentorship build competence.
Collaboration between educational institutions, universities, and external experts is also necessary.
The concept can complement other operating models, for example in connection with Smart Villages development projects. Locally, the Startup Village visioning phase can align with village and association activities, such as the development path called “Louhen Luola” in the Metsojen Karkelot project.
Startup Village activities will begin with visioning and move into experimentation and innovation. The workshop held at the Village Arena in 2025 included ideas for the implementation of the Startup Village, such as event testing, communication to those who have moved away from the area, activating seasonal residents, and highlighting and utilizing their special expertise.
To support these activities, there is a need for targeted communication, motivation, and a user-friendly digital platform that enables networking across municipal, provincial, and national borders. This requires securing basic resources, commitment, and the will to develop the Startup Village concept in the long term.
Questions and answers discussed in the workshop:
- What could Startup Village enable for our village, its residents, companies and organizations in the area?
The Startup Village concept identifies several networks within and outside the villages, nationally and internationally. A can-do attitude and shared enthusiasm are important values. The concept creates faith in the future, as the activities are based on co-creation and a sense of community, which is already natural to the activities of the villages, and aims to identify opportunities and create new, ambitious business activities through a development process put together by experts.
The starting point for innovative activities is the individual’s internal growth and development, which enables them to find their own direction, based on motivation, values and the desire to live and work in the countryside. In this way, various development paths can be launched for the villages. The operating model recognizes the importance of basic services in the locality. All enthusiastic participants are included in activities.
Startup Village status increases the value of the area, creates faith in the future and enthusiasm for the development of one’s own village and region, also contributing to the number of new companies, ownership, and generational changes, for example. The community spaces at the heart of the operating model enable the utilization of empty spaces, houses and properties.
- What could be tried first?
Startup Village activities can be prepared with various small experiments. One experiment is event testing to see what arouses people’s interest. For example, surveys can be used in activation, to encourage people to talk about their wishes and needs and to inspire them to participate in joint development.
Activating seasonal residents and village communications strengthens the residents’ network and lowers the threshold for participating in joint events. Community spaces/hubs create an opportunity to stay longer in the locality. The resources of the villages will be enhanced through collaborative efforts, involving the active participation of companies and organizations in development initiatives, such as providing internship opportunities for international students.
Activating potential returnees and others interested in living in the countryside is worth trying. Activation can be carried out, for example, through virtual village tours. Communication must be continuous and long-term to reach people who are approaching retirement age and who are potential returnees, for example.
Village activities should incorporate and connect specialized expertise to support new developments. Consideration of the continuity of development activities must be active and based on a shared vision and proceed from words to deeds. Entrepreneurs’ ideas and perspectives should be more recognised and valued.
- What would help us, what and who do we need?
In the Startup Village visioning state, various inspiring examples are needed for target groups, through carefully targeted communication. The need is also seen to motivate those people who are thinking about entrepreneurship and want to change and who are stuck in working life. Startup Village’s operating model is open to everyone, leaving no one behind.
The Startup Village enables the utilization of various empty spaces, and the goal is to establish new hubs and elevate existing hubs into valuable meeting places, where seasonal residents are also invited. The cross-cutting factor of the hub’s activities is digitalization, which requires functional data connections and a digital platform that enables networking. By connecting local community spaces/hubs and people with external expertise, resources, and markets, Startup Village aims to create favorable conditions for entrepreneurial and innovative ecosystems. The hubs in operation are HUBteekki in Pihtipudas and Lennätin/Digikeskus in Viitasaari.
The workshop also identified the need for a low-threshold non-commercial social media platform. Easy approachability and the long-term implementation of the operating model are made possible by knowledge and expert help in the development of ideas and agile experiments. The village association’s own social media channels play an important role in conveying information and communication. Long-term resourcing and activation is a prerequisite for Startup Village operations, and it is made possible by coordinating project activities. The concept opens up opportunities for financial frameworks and networks in different sectors, such as the EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) and the EU CAP Network.
Author:
Ilona Ukkonen
LAG Viisari ry
Startup Village Conceptualisation:
JRC Publications Repository – Startup Village Conceptualisation
This article is part of the communication measures of the Sisu Business project (1.4.2024-31.12.2025) which is co funded by the European Union through the Centre for Economic Development, Transport, and the Environment of Central Finland.